The Ultradwarf Invasion

"The future is now as ultradwarf bermudagrass varieties make inroads on golf courses in central and north Georgia."

By Chris Hartwiger and Patrick O'Brien, USGA Green Section SE Region Agronomists

November 20, 2006

From the hickory shaft to the 460 cc exotic metal headed driver, golf is in a constant state of change. The same can be said for golf course maintenance. As recently as two generations of superintendents ago (30 – 40 years), central and north Georgia golf courses used bermudagrass varieties such as Tifgreen and Tifdwarf as the predominant choice for putting greens. Since that time, creeping bentgrass became the de facto choice for almost all golf courses in this region.

Factors ranging from the introduction of the ultradwarf bermudagrasses to changing economic and regulatory environments are leading golf courses to seek the ultradwarf bermudagrasses as a viable option to bentgrass putting greens. This article will make the case that the key signs seen today point to a return to bermudagrass putting greens on all but a small portion of golf courses in this region. While each factor on its own may not be enough to clear the haze from the crystal ball, all the factors put together give a clear vision of the future.

Ultradwarf Bermudagrasses Appear on the Market

Beginning in the late 1990’s, a wave of bermudagrass varieties for putting greens appeared on the market. These varieties were believed to be an improvement over Tifdwarf and they were all lumped together as ultradwarf bermudagrass varieties. One characteristic these grasses shared was the ability to tolerate consistently a lower height of cut than Tifdwarf.

At this time, the ultradwarf options were Champion, Floradwarf, Miniverde, MS Supreme, and TifEagle. Although they belong to the ultradwarf category, each of these grasses has different morphological characteristics. Today, not all of the varieties are readily available with Champion and TifEagle having the largest market share.

Ultradwarf Varieties: A Viable Alternative to Creeping Bentgrass

Experience in variety trials and use on golf courses has led to the determination that these turfgrasses provide higher levels of playing quality throughout the year compared to Tifdwarf. Currently, there are many golf courses in the southern zone of bentgrass adaptation that have removed their bentgrass putting greens and replaced them with an ultradwarf. Many of these golf courses did not have the resources to meet the requirements for successful bentgrass putting greens nor could they obtain the resources necessary to commit to securing these resources any time in the future. The cost of renovation to an ultradwarf can be low and reports reveal a high level of satisfaction among superintendents and golfers. No regrets!!

Commitment to Bentgrass

Bentgrass putting greens have improved each decade, and maintaining healthy surfaces able to withstand stress is a tall order. The most successful bentgrass putting greens seen throughout the region share most, if not all, of the following factors:

• An improved bentgrass variety.
• Excellent construction.
• A sound organic matter dilution program (aeration and topdressing).
• Air movement. Many courses in the region now have fans on all 18 putting greens.
• A summer venting program.
• A sensible summer mowing height.
• Strong late season nitrogen fertilization program.
• A skilled superintendent and trained staff. Superintendent and staff retention is effective. Frequent turnover is not.

Life support and crisis management tools for the management of bentgrass putting greens in the summer months has become an industry within the industry. Committing to all the factors above is expensive and requires a commitment year in and year out. There is no shame in not having all the tools, only a risk in summer performance that falls below expectations. Fortunately, the introduction of improved bermudagrass varieties offers a viable alternative to meet customer expectations.

Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Varieties: A Viable Alternative To Bentgrass

"Mr. Golfer, if your golf course provided firm greens with speeds of 9 – 10 feet on the Stimpmeter throughout the year, would you care what turfgrass species is on the putting greens?" Most golfers will answer, "No, the species of grass is not as important as the playing quality."

There are many examples in the field today that show even golf courses with lower budgets (less than $350,000) can meet this expectation with ultradwarf grasses such as Champion and TifEagle.

A Changing Regulatory World

Do not expect the number of products available to control putting green maladies to grow over time. It is more realistic to believe that fewer pesticides will be available to golf course superintendents in the coming years. Do not expect the golfer to readily accept lower quality conditions should key products be taken off the market in the future. A more restrictive regulatory environment favors an ultradwarf bermudagrass variety.

Costs

The only segment of the golf market that is thriving in the Southeast is the upper end private club. It is becoming more difficult for owner operators in the mid to low end to make a living. Changing from bentgrass to an ultradwarf bermudagrass allows the turf manager to meet or exceed previous levels of putting quality at a lower cost per square foot. Cost savings could and should include fewer fungicide applications, no fans, and the virtual elimination of "hot watering" in the summer months.

Improved Winter Performance

Eliminating overseeding is not a viable strategy for Tifdwarf. However, the morphological differences in the ultradwarf grasses (Champion, Miniverde, and TifEagle) make not winter overseeding a viable and desirable strategy. The ultradwarfs have a dense network of stolons that are very tolerant to wear throughout the winter. We have not seen a case where an ultradwarf green has been worn out through traffic. Yes, high traffic areas can thin slightly, but overall, putting quality on an ultradwarf in the winter can be excellent.

Alignment of Turfgrass Quality with Rounds of Golf

In central and north Georgia, the use of an ultradwarf bermudagrass allows all aspects of the golf course to peak at the same time. With bentgrass putting greens, the maintenance staff must shift to the survival mode just when the bermudagrass tees, fairways, and rough are coming into their own. In our experience, the lowest turfgrass quality for an ultradwarf is going to occur two to three weeks prior to greenup. This corresponds to sometime in late February or early March. Fortunately, we just do not see club championships and member guests taking place in late February. Instead, we see the golf season in the region begin to build in the spring and through the summer. Ultradwarf bermudagrass varieties are a nice fit with this model.

Income Generation

Golf course superintendents in the region cringe at the thought of a full field Monday outing in July. Countless paragraphs have been written in our Turfgrass Advisory Reports admonishing courses to limit traffic including outings on bentgrass putting greens during the summer stress months. With an ultradwarf, traffic is welcome on a 100 degree day in late July. Golfers may need gallons of sports drink to get through the day, but to the ultradwarf grasses, it is just another day in the sun. The ability to attract more outside events during the outing season (spring, summer, and fall) is yet another bonus feature associated with the ultradwarf varieties.

Conclusion

We have attempted to offer our best prediction of how the market will evolve in central and north Georgia. Like many of the trends we have seen in the region over the past such as the use of hybrid bermudagrass in fairways, improved bentgrass varieties, and alternative golf spikes, ultimately market forces are the push that drives any change.

We believe the ultradwarf bermudagrass varieties offer the opportunity to use fewer inputs such as water, pesticides, and labor. The industry has been seeking grass systems for years that share this philosophy. Of course, none of this matters unless the grass is as good as or better than the alternative. We believe the ultradwarf varieties offer such as an opportunity and this will be a great chapter in our industry’s history.